Nola Louise Wilcoxson

Nola Louise Wilcoxson, 91, of Niles, formerly of Hartford, passed away peacefully in her home Saturday, Dec. 6, 2014, with her family at her side.

Louise, as she was known by friends and family, is survived by her daughter, Bonita Markillie of Niles; granddaughter, Juliana (Dale) Ekema of Elkhart, Ind.; grandson, Craig Markillie of Savannah, Ga.; and great-grandson, Matthew Liebetrau of East Lansing. She is also survived by step-great-grandchildren: Jessica, Courtney, Nathan, Elizabeth, Joshua, Rebecca, Daniel and Noah Ekema of Elkhart, Ind.; several nieces and nephews; and special friends, the Sitorus family.

Louise was born May 19, 1923, in Springville Ala. On Nov. 3, 1951, she married Robert Wilcoxson, who preceded her in death in 2007. She was also preceded in death by her parents; her sister, Eva Lee; brothers: Virgil, Talmadge and Sam Jr,; and son-in-law, Paul Markillie.

She was a member of Hartford United Methodist Church, where she volunteered in several areas. Louise was employed by the Watervliet Paper Mill for many years. She enjoyed giving gifts, such as homemade quilts and ceramic art, as a way of showing her love. She was a wonderful cook and loved to can fruits and vegetables during the summer. In her later years she spent many hours reading and working crossword and jigsaw puzzles.

The family would like to extend a special thanks to Dr. Paloyan of the Marie Yeager Cancer Center, and the staff at Lakeland Community Hospital-Niles, Lakeland Homecare and Hospice at Home.

A celebration of life service will be at 5 p.m. Thursday Dec. 11, 2014, at Hartford United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Ronald Hansen officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service, from 4-5 p.m. Private burial will be at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hartford United Methodist Church.

The family is being assisted by Calvin Funeral Home, Hartford. Those wishing to leave memorial condolences for the family may do so at http://www.calvin-leonardfh.com.